Video of Miley Cyrus shows her dancing provocatively with Adam Shankman

In my original post just under a year ago following the scandal that Miley Cyrus 'pole danced' on stage at the Teen Choice Awards 2009 I thought it was all just a big storm in a tea cup. Yes Miley has lots of young, impressionable fans but her antics on stage were hardly akin to anything sexual and she was just enjoying herself.

BUT, the latest Miley Cyrus scandal has changed my opinion of the 17 year old. Today a clip has been passed around the internet with a girl, who I assume to be Miley Cyrus, dancing wholey inappropraitely with director Adam Shankman at a party to celebrate the end of filming Miley's film, The Last Song.

Wiggling her bum around the openly homosexual director's crotch she looks like she's having a splendid time... But I'm sure none the less a scandal will be whipped up, damning her for influencing her fans to place themselves on the crotch of any middle aged men.

Whilst the two incidents are completely different, appearing on stage there are completely different rules and codes of conduct compared to when you're at a private party, and it seems as if Miley is unaware that she is being filmed or that the video would end up on the internet but none the less her position in the media and her celebrity status means that this can only be bad news.

Yes, celebrities are entitled to do whatever they please, but when your every move is being watched and subject to scrutiny perhaps it's best to keep such antics behind closed doors. No it's not fair, she's not the only 17 year old girl to have been caught in such a compromising position, but the price you pay for fame is being watched, constantly, whenever and wherever you are and if you can't take the good with the bad possibly a the celebrity career path isn't the one for you.

I highly doubt that any child post seeing this video will then emulate Miley as good parenting should teach children that it's inappropriate no matter what Miley is telling them, but the debate still ensues. Was Miley in the wrong for doing it in the first place? Was the person who covertly filmed her in the wrong for passing his video around the internet? Am I wrong for passing it around further? What do you think?

*Edit: The video has been removed from youtube, if you really want to see you can get it here*

Topshop launch MakeUp

Last week Topshop’s range of makeup hit stores amongst a flurry of all sorts of in store and online promotion. The range consists of a core collection as well as a trend collection which will be updated each season. The collection certainly has the whole blogosphere talking about it as it seems to have been featured on all the blogs I follow. I like how Topshop have carried over their reputation for on trend fashion over to make up and the packaging and look of the products all represent Topshop’s trendy image.

On the Topshop web site you’ll also find things like a virtual make over where you can upload a picture of yourself and virtually try out the products. My attempt is below, I think it’s got a definite air of transsexual about it but is a nice idea none the less. You can then share your results on the Topshop facebook page which is another well placed bit of online viral marketing from Topshop.



They also have a range of video tutorials on their web site showing you the types of look you can create with the products which is a great idea. The makeup artist explains to you how to use the products to get the looks they promote on their models and given the prominence of makeup tutorials at the moment on youtube with people like Lauren Luke and Ricebunny it is a very clever way to promote their products. With the youtube ones they can come off quite amateur so by having the more professional appearing Topshop ones it shows you the potential of the products. I’ve seen hair care brand Aussie have done a similar thing with their products which is a great and authentic way to promote themselves on the Internet.

In the Oxford Street store they’ve also worked with the SHOW Studio.com project. At the makeup counter you can get a free makeover and then have your photo taken in front of the ‘Magic Mirror’ where over thirty top fashion creatives - including Lady Gaga's stylist Nicola Formichetti, Edward Enninful of US Vogue, make-up artist Hannah Murray and fashion's favourite illustrator Julie Verhoeven - dispense sartorial advice that appears written, as if by magic, across the mirror's surface. Requires a hell of a lot of bravery!

Image taken from Refinery29

I've created three more looks on polyvore. It's very addictive!

The first is this pink look:

Pink by KayleyA featuring Disney Couture jewelry

Items in this set:
Blush Tier Tube Dress, $28 (Only available in America I'm afraid from Forever 21)
ASOS Premium Feather Vintage Chain Clutch, £45
Disney Couture Gold Plated 'A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes' Ring, £30
Disney Couture 14 ct Gold and Crystal 'Beleive' Short Necklace, £17.50
Della Blossom PINK - Freya Rose London £350

The shoes I've used are from a label called Freya Rose London. They specialise in very high quality, one of a kind couture shoes which use the best fabrics and materials. They do lots of wedding shoes but I like these pink corsage ones.

Pink is extremely in at the moment with lots of celebrities wearing pink hues to the Oscars and Oscar after parties, Golden Globes and the MET ball last week. One of my favourites was Emily Blunt attending the Golden Globes wearing a Dolce and Gabbana gown looking stunning but lots of others like Kirsten Stewart, Kate Bosworth and Eva Longoria.

[caption id="attachment_176" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Clockwise starting top left: Eva Longoria Parker at the Grey Goose Soho House party, New York, Kate Bosworth at the Calvin Klein Collection party, LA wearing Calvin Klein, Charlize Theron at the 2010 Oscars wearing Dior, Michelle Rodriguez at the Oscars 2010 Elton John AIDS Foundation party, Maggie Gyllenhaal at the 2010 Golden Globes wearing Roland Mouret, Emily Blunt at the 2010 Golden Globes wearing Dolce and Gabbana, Jennifer Aniston at the Bounty Hunter premiere, Paris wearing Christian LaCroix couture, Kristen Stewart at The Runaways premiere, LA wearing a Doo.Ri minidress."][/caption]

Next I created a blue/grey floral look:

Soft gray floral by KayleyA featuring Dorothy Perkins

Items in this set:
Skirts - Women - Very - Provided by Shop Direct Group, £35
Topshop Tapestry Zip Bralet, £27 (currently out of stock)
Open-Toe Chain Trim Buckle Pumps, £40
Grey/mint Dorotht Perkins clutch bag, £18
Once upon a time necklace, Dorothy Perkins, £12

Topshop eyeshadow Duo in Jackdaw, £6

I've used some chain shoes which are very Lanvin-esque and are very in at the moment. I particularly like the necklace, you can't really see but it says "Once Upon a Time" and fits in with the kitsch/Alice in Wonderland trend going on at the moment particularly with jewellery.

And finally I made this biker/rocky look:

Biker Look by KayleyA featuring Carvela shoes

Items in this set:
Wildfox couture kitten t-shirt, £65
Vero Moda Short Studded Biker Jacket, 50 GBP
Topshop Black Biker Skinny Jeans, £60
Carvela boots, SKINT, £110
Warehouse Patchwork Tote, £35

TOPSHOP Eyeshadow Duo in Smoulder, £6

This is one of my favourites. I love the Topshop Motorcycle jeans, they've got all the panelling and zips at the top and side, I think I NEED them,  and the scary looking shoes from Carvela. The top is from Wildfox couture who Cheryl Cole has been spotted wearing a few times as well as people like The Saturdays, the Kardashians, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and a few more, this cute kitten one is my favourite though.

The shoes I've used are from a label called Freya Rose London. They specialise in very high quality, one of a kind couture shoes which use the best fabrics and materials. They do lots of wedding shoes but I like these pink corsage ones.

Beyonce 'Why Don't You Love Me' Video Review

Hmm, well I suppose interesting was the right word for Beyonce’s new video. It was launched yesterday and whilst it’s good to look at, the 1950s housewife look is cute and gives the video a strong style and quirkie-ness, it also however screams misogyny!

Tut-tut Beyonce! In the video all she really does is cry over her man who doesn’t love her, cook, clean, ponce around in her underwear and do some gardening. What happened to the empowered female we saw in Crazy Right Now and Single Ladies? Not at all a positive message to be giving to her fans about femininity. Whilst the fashion is very glamorous and she looks stunning I just wish she’d get a back bone! It is possible to be powerful and look good at the same time!

What do you think about the message of this video?

American 60s Look

I've been at the Polyvore again. I actually made this a few days ago with the idea being an American 60s retro inspired look like in the Christina Aguilera Candyman video, but today a sneak peak of Beyonce's newest video 'Why Don't You Love Me' has been released and she seems to be going for a similar look with a cropped shirt, red lips and winged eyeliner.

The Beyonce video looks like it's going to be really interesting. I think it'll be quite similar to the Lady Gaga Telephone one as it seems like there's going to be a strong narrative running through it. I really like the retro look although bare torsos seems like a brave move. I love the cropped jeans and flats though. What does anyone else think?

Items in this set:
Printed Floral Cropped Blouse, 22 GBP
Jamie Skinny Crop Jeans, 30GBP
Lady Dragon Heart Dove Blue Shoes, 90 GBP
quilted classic Coco crossover, $22
Red Love Heart Stud Earrings, 4 GBP

Agent Provocateur Marketing

Edgy underwear brand Agent Provocateur has always pushed the boundaries when it comes to their advertising. The attitude of the brand is that women should unabashedly have the confidence to give in to their deepest desires, and their range of risqué lingerie reflects this as it encourages indulgence into passions and intimacy.

The company often use below the line techniques to attract attention to their message, for example by having models parade outside London Fashion Week with signs reading “More S&M, Less M&S” and using various shock advertising techniques. For example a risqué outdoor campaign on the number 23 bus caused London Transport to revaluate the types of advertising which are permitted on buses after a number of minor traffic incidents. Viral campaigns are also a large part of Agent Provocateur’s marketing of a specific story represented through a series of videos following character’s who entered a country mansion.

The undoubtedly sexy videos with slow lingering shots of various parts of the female anatomy have been reinforced by Facebook and Flickr where users have been successfully engaged with their brand as Facebook profile’s were set up for the character’s featured in their videos and Flickr users were invited to design a cover for erotic novels AP produced staring these characters.

Vogue has described their web site as “the sexiest web site in the world” and the same can easily be said for their banned cinema advertisement featuring Kylie Minogue, which was named the top celebrity viral ad of in 2009 and generated 350 million youtube hits, and their advert reminding men exactly why they shouldn’t forget Valentine’s Day in 2009 staring Rosie Huntington Whiteley.

Something I particularly like about AP is that their advertising shows women as being both attractive and liberated without being submissive. Their branding is similarly empowering to females and this message is something which I believe drives sales for this luxury brand. They are responsible for a change in attitude towards the underwear women choose. Long gone are the days when women would be shy about their choice of undies and instead AP have turned them into a form of expression. By turning underwear into an experience it lets women know that it’s okay to be sexual or risqué in a way it wasn’t before however at the same time behaving like this isn’t what they ought to be.